Internal-combustion engine.



l. LESLIE." INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY3. 19H.

Patente Dec. 4,1917;

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lNTERNALCOMBUSTION ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAYHI. i937.

Patented 4:, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2' {J yum, 11 501 INGR'HM LESLiE" INGRAM LESLIE, 01E

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INTERINTAL-GOMBUSTIOII ENGINE.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 6%, 19 1?.

Application filed May 31, 1917. Serial No, 172,063.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, Incnsnr' Lnsnrn, a citizen of the United States, residing at John, in the county of Pike and State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Internal-Combustion Engines, of which the following is a specification, reference being hadt-o the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to internal combustion engines, and has for its primary object to provide an engine of this type whereby a maximum amount of power may be 'obtained from the consumption of a minimum quantity of fuel. I

lit is another and more particular object of the invention to provide in an internal combustion engine, a plurality of -pistons working in a single cylinder, and operating connections between the several pistons and the crank shaft of the engine, whereby the pistons are moved with respect to each other to compress a charge'alternately in each end of the cylinder, the opposed pistons equally receiving the driving force of the exploded charge to transmit a maximum rotative efiort to the crank shaft.

It is also a further general object of my invention to materially improve and siniplify the construction of engines of the above character, whereby the same are rendered highly eiiicient and reliable in practi cal use and capable of manufacture at relatively small cost.

With the above and other objects in view, my invention consists in the novel features of construction, combination, and arrange ment of parts to be hereinafter more fully described, claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figural is a side elevation illustrating one embodiment of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section;

Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 1 is a section taken on the line 4-4: of Fig. 3.-

-iiieferring in detail to the drawing, designates the engine cylinder which is mounted upon a suitable base. indicated at 6. This cylinder is provided with the usual water jacket Z.

Within the cylinder 5, the main piston 8 is arranged to reciprocate, and additional pistons 9 also reciprocate in the opposite ends of said cylinder. The latter pistons are provided upon their inner ends with piston rings 10, while the piston 8 has similar-rings 11 on each end thereof. The cylinder 5 is provided in its wall, at its opposite ends, with the longitudinally extending slots 12 to receive wrist pins 13 projecting radially from the outer end of each of the pistons 4 at the opposite sides thereof. a The wall oi the cylinder 5 is also centrally provided diametrically oppositepoints with the slots 14 to receive wrist pins 15 on the intermediate piston 8.

16 designates the power shaft of the engine having spaced'cranlrs 17 therein, and an intermediate crank 18 connecting said spaced cranks. The wrist pins 13 of the pistons 9 are connected at opposite sides of the engine cylinder by the longitudinally extending bars 19 which are provided with slots 20 intermediate of their ends to accommodate the wrist pins 15 of the central piston 8, The bars 19 are connected to each other at one of their ends by the cross bar 21, to which one end of a connecting rod is pivotally connected, the other end of said rod being connected to the crank 18 of the shaft 16. wrist pins 15 of the piston 8 to the cranks 17 of the power shaft.

Suitable gas inlet valves 24 are mounted in the cylinder wall at opposite sides of its center and in opposed relation to these intake valves the exhaust valves 25 are arranged. The gaseous charge is supplied to the intake valve ports through a manifold 26 which is connected to asuitable carbureter, and a manifold 27 also connects the exhaust valve ports to a suitable muffler. 2S designates the spark plugs mounted in the cylinder wall, whereby the gaseous charge is exploded.

In the operation of my improved engine, the charge admitted to oneend of the cylinder between one of the pistons 9 and the piston 8, is compressed in the movement of the latter piston toward the piston 9, and then exploded. The pistons 8 and 9 are driven in opposite directions and, in such movement, saidpistons equally act to trans:

niit rotative force to the power shaft 16, the piston 8, through the rods 23, pulling upon the crank 17, while the piston El, through the rod 22, pushes upon the other crank 18. In this movement of the piston 8, the charge which has been admitted to the other end of the cylinder is compressed he Jan tween the piston 8 and the other of the pistons 9. This charge is then exploded and drives said pistons 8 and 9 in relatively opposite. directions, the movement of the piston. 8 expelling the burned gases of the previous charge. The rotationimparted to the power shaft and the momentum. thereof, reverses the movement of the piston S to expel the last exploded charge, and then again reverses the movement of said piston to compress the new charge between the same and the first piston 9, and the above described operation repeated. Thus, in each alternate revolw tion of the power shaft, there are two explosions in the engine cylinder. The combined weight of the pistons 9 is equal to the weight of the piston 8, so that in the operation of the engine, there will be comparatively little jar or vibration. It will, of course, be understood that the several pistons are of sufficient length to prevent the escape of the gases through the wrist pin slots 12 and 14. By the arrangement of the pistons above referred to in the engine cylin der, and the operating connections between the same and the power shaft, it will be appreciated that a maximum of working energy is obtained with comparatively small consumption of fuel. Any desired type of intake and exhaust valves may be utilized,

and while I have herein shown and described one embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that the form, proportion, and relative arrangement of the several elements employed are susceptible of considerable modification and I, therefore, reserve the privilege of adopting all such legitimate changes as may be fairly embodied within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I desire to claim and secure by Letters Patent is:

In an internal combustion engine, a cylinder, pistons to reciprocate in the ends of said cylinder, an intermediate piston in the cylinder, bars connecting the end pistons to each other, said bars being provided with spacedslots, the wall of the cylinder having slots therein, wrist pins on the intermediate piston projecting outwardly through the slots in said cylinder wall and the slots in said bars, a power shaft having spaced cranks therein and an intermediate crank, rods connecting the wrist pins of the intermediate piston to said spaced cranks, and means connecting said bars to the intermediate crank of the power shaft, whereby said intermediate and end pistons will transmit rotation to said shaft when driven in opposite directions by the exploded charge.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

INGRAM LESLIE.

Witnesses A. S. RATLIFF, A. T. Loam. 

